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    Home » Desserts » Chocolate Easter nests

    Chocolate Easter nests

    April 2, 2021 by Gabby 10 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Pinterest-Chocolate-Easter-nests

    How adorable are these chocolate Easter nests? ….I’m not biased at all! I love creating cute and wholesome little things to decorate our Easter table with and I think these will be perfect.

    Chocolate Easter Nests

    There is certainly no shortage of chocolate flying around at Easter, is there? I try and make the best possible choices for us and for the environment when choosing the eggs or chocolate that I buy. That goes for the ingredients I use when making my gifts too – like these chocolate Easter nests. And always remember that when you get foil covered eggs – that foil can be recycled! All you need to do is roll the foil from all your eggs into one big ball and pop it into the recycling bin.

    WHAT ARE THE HEALTH BENEFITS?

    The base ingredient in the chocolate buckini clusters used here is buckwheat groats, which is a highly nutritious food. Buckwheat groats are a good source of easily digestible minerals such as zinc and magnesium(1), and also offer anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Additionally, they’re a great prebiotic food(2).

    The health benefits of cacao are many (hurrah!) but making sure you are enjoying it in a good quality chocolate is key. A bar of Dairy Milk is not going to offer you the same health promoting qualities that a lovely fair-trade organic dark chocolate will. They’re not even in the same ball-park. So, choose your mini Easter eggs for these chocolate Easter nests wisely. If you do – your chocolate, along with the added cacao in the recipe, will be giving you a good dose of antioxidants, magnesium, polyphenols (good for the gut!) and flavonoids (good for heart and brain health)(3). I used Loving Earth BooBook eggs and some organic mini eggs here, which can be found online or in the health food store.

    HOW TO MAKE THESE CHOCOLATE EASTER NESTS

    STEP ONE

    Grab all your ingredients and line a muffin tin with 12 baking cups.

    Chocolate Easter nest ingredients

    STEP TWO

    In a large bowl, mix together the Loving Earth chocolate buckinis, desiccated coconut, sultanas or cranberries, cacao nibs, cacao powder, vanilla and maple syrup. See note below recipe if you can’t find buckinis.

    STEP THREE

    Combine the coconut oil and cacao butter in a small saucepan and melt over a low heat. Do not let it boil and switch it off as soon as everything is melted.

    Cacao butter melting

    STEP FOUR

    Pour the oil mixture into the dry mixture and stir until everything is well combined.

    Mixing chocolate Easter nests

    STEP FIVE

    Spoon the combined mixture evenly into the baking cups (make sure they’re filled to the top) then start to form out a nest. Either do this by pushing down on the mixture with a small glass – a shot glass is ideal – or the back of a teaspoon. Either method should leave you with a ‘nest’. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm up.

    Shaping nests

    STEP SIX

    Remove from the freezer and decorate with some mini chocolate eggs then place on your Easter table. Do try and remove them just before serving because they will melt and crumble if left out too long. Keep any extras in the fridge.

    Chocolate Easter Nests

    I hope you enjoy these and they bring much colour to your Easter table. If you’d like to try another Easter recipe, take a look at my Peanut Butter Eggs.

    If you make these over Easter drop me a comment and let me know if you enjoyed them!

    Chocolate Easter Nests

    Chocolate Easter nests

    These cute little chocolate Easter nests will bring plenty of colour and lots of deliciousness to your Easter table.
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    Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Australian
    Keyword: Chocolate, Dairy free, Easter, Gluten free
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Chilling time: 30 minutes
    Servings: 12 people
    Calories: 269kcal

    Equipment

    • 12 hole muffin tin
    • Large baking cup liners

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups Loving Earth Chocolate Buckini Clusters (see not below if you can't find these)
    • 1 cup desiccated coconut
    • 1/4 cup raw cacao nibs
    • 1/3 cup raw cacao powder
    • 1/4 cup maple syrup
    • 1 tsp vanilla essence
    • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
    • 1/3 cup cacao butter
    • 1/4 cup sultanas or dried cranberries
    • 1 box Loving Earth BooBook eggs, (optional)
    • 1 pack mini Easter eggs, to fill the nests with

    Instructions

    • Line a muffin tin with 12 baking cups (I used If You Care – large size).
    • In a large bowl, mix together the Loving Earth chocolate buckinis, desiccated coconut, sultanas or cranberries, cacao nibs, cacao powder, vanilla and maple syrup.
    • Combine the coconut oil and cacao butter in a small saucepan and melt over a low heat. Do not let it boil and switch it off as soon as everything is melted.
    • Pour the oil mixture into the dry mixture and stir until everything is well combined.
    • Spoon the mixture evenly into the baking cups then start to form out a nest. Either do this by pushing down on the mixture with a small glass – a shot glass is ideal – or with the back of a teaspoon. Either method should leave you with a 'nest'. Place in the freezer for 30minutes to firm up.
    • Remove from the freezer and decorate with some mini chocolate eggs then place on your Easter table. Do try and remove them just before serving because they will melt and crumble if left out too long. Keep any extras in the fridge.

    Notes

    If buckinis are just too hard for you to come by, you could replace them by using 1.5 cups of puffed brown rice and 1/2 a cup of chopped nuts of your choice. I would just taste the mixture before you freeze it to ensure you’re happy with the sweetener as is. It may need adjusting.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1nest | Calories: 269kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 294mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg

    References

    1. Evaluation of the content and bioaccessibility of iron, zinc, calcium and magnesium from groats, rice, leguminous grains and nuts
    2. Buckwheat as a Functional Food and Its Effects on Health
    3. Cocoa Bioactive Compounds: Significance and Potential for the Maintenance of Skin Health
    « Peanut butter eggs
    Anzac Biscuits »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. veenaazmanov

      April 02, 2021 at 3:40 pm

      5 stars
      Festivity at its best. This is so innovative and very creative too. Kids would love to handle it as well. Lovely planning for a decorative Easter Table.

      Reply
      • Gabby

        April 02, 2021 at 4:36 pm

        Thanks so much Veena!

        Reply
    2. Jo

      April 02, 2021 at 4:24 pm

      5 stars
      My kids are so excited to try this! Looking great!

      Reply
      • Gabby

        April 02, 2021 at 4:35 pm

        Thanks, Jo! Hope you all enjoy them.

        Reply
    3. Jacqueline Debono

      April 02, 2021 at 6:18 pm

      5 stars
      What a beautiful and innovative Easter treat. I’m not sure I can find the chocolate buckinis here in Italy but will try to order online if I can. .

      Reply
      • Gabby

        April 02, 2021 at 6:29 pm

        Thanks Jacqueline! Something like Nature Mix – Muesli Crunchy con Cioccolato Uvetta e Nocciole could work well for this.

        Reply
    4. Amanda Wren-Grimwood

      April 02, 2021 at 7:40 pm

      5 stars
      These look so cute for Easter treats and fun to make too.The children and adults will love them!

      Reply
      • Gabby

        April 02, 2021 at 7:41 pm

        Thanks, Amanda!

        Reply
    5. Alice | SkinnySpatula

      April 02, 2021 at 8:59 pm

      5 stars
      What an original idea for Easter treats! They’re the perfect idea to make with kids.

      Reply
      • Gabby

        April 06, 2021 at 5:12 am

        Thanks so much Alice!

        Reply

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    I'm Gabby (She/Her), a Sydney-based Naturopath with a thriving balcony garden. I love to preserve, cook and ferment and am passionate about teaching others how to do the same. Read more about me!

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